


Coming to Terms

by Anonymous



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Canon Timeline, Established Relationship, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, M/M, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25107709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Due to a magical mishap, Dimitri and Felix's four-year-old daughter travel twelve years into the past. There, she meets her parents' younger selves when they're seventeen.Things get a little complicated from here on.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 12
Kudos: 109
Collections: Anonymous, FE3H Kink Meme





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> FE3H Kinkmeme prompt:
> 
> dimitri and felix's child gets sent back into the past to their academy years!! that's it. idk how it happens, magic spell gone wrong or someone attempting to fuck with dimilix & their kid getting caught in it etc go wild, up to the author!!
> 
> – author can decide if the kid is a girl/boy but they look exactly like dimitri as a child  
> – they recognise all the blue lions EXCEPT dimitri because two eyes/no eyepatch  
> – the kid absolutely runs to and calls felix "papa" when they see him  
> – felix confused why he's being called papa but is definitely sure this is dimitri's kid (from the future)  
> – so a lil bit of felix angst (bc he marries the boar in the future and has a child with him wtf how)  
> – maybe a tiny bit of felix AND dimitri angst too  
> – blue lions + baby shenanigans!!!  
> – future king dimitri (with felix or no) appearing to take their baby back at a moment when felix is alone w the kid and seeing this future dimitri interact with their child!!! hmm do they talk? up to you!  
> \+ bonus for hinted dimilix reconciliation at the end
> 
> i really just want dimilix baby playing with the younger blue lions!! but mostly felix going absolute bonkers at finding out not only is he gonna marry the guy he "hates" but he also has a child with him

"So what you're saying," Felix said through gritted teeth, "is that our daughter has been sent twelve years into the past."

Linhardt looked up from his documents, his eyebrows rising as though he had just forgotten that Felix was there after he had finished his rambling (which wouldn't be a surprise knowing him), and then confirmed, "Indeed." He smiled blithely, unbothered by the increasingly frantic parents standing before him. "Isn't it fascinating? Who knew that magic could manage such feats?"

"Yeah, great," Sylvain said, cutting between him and Felix, who looked ready to pounce and strangle the man, "but the more important question is: Can we get her back?"

"Oh, I'm certain that we can." Linhardt shuffled through his papers again. "The magic may be ancient, but since the princess has managed to activate it, performing the undoing process should be feasible."

"But how did she even get sent back in time in the first place?" Dimitri asked, tone bordering on hysterical.

There was a wild glint in his eye that would have led others to believe that the king was about to raze the ground; that was, if he wasn't a father worrying himself to death about his missing daughter. While Linhardt's confidence was reassuring, there was still the concern of exactly _where_ she could be. If the princess happened to be somewhere in the middle of the woods infested with bandits...

Apparently, Felix had thought as much when he mentioned that aloud, preceding Dimitri's distraught moan. 

Sylvain and Ingrid exchanged wary glances. Usually, the royal couple had a balancing dynamic where if one of them freaked out, the other would be the levelheaded one trying to calm down his partner. As it was, both of them were freaking out, and understandably so.

But having _both of them freaking out_ was unwittingly making Sylvain and Ingrid freaked out as well. Fortunately, they succeeded in tamping down their panic before they could escalate the problem. Linhardt being the only one unruffled was a little annoying to see, even though such behavior was expected from the man. 

"I'll have to do more research to find her whereabouts. And as for how she got into this mess..." Linhardt hummed with consideration. "Perhaps she stumbled upon the book when she was perusing the archives? You do have a surprising number of dark tomes shelved in discrete places. Did you have an ancestor who dabbled in verboten magic? Or perhaps one of your staff members?"

 _Cornelia_ , was the unanimous unvoiced answer that echoed in everyone's heads. 

"I'll make an order to have the books cleared out," Dimitri said wanly.

"How long will it take for you to get her back?" Felix demanded to know. 

"First, I need to pinpoint her location, which I'll have to research about."

"And how long will that take?" Felix pressed, his eye twitching.

"A day at most - "

"A day!"

"The book contains archaic language that has taken me just as long to understand what happened to the princess." Linhardt paused to yawn. "Although, perhaps we should move that to two days."

"We don't have two days, one day, an hour, or a minute," Felix growled. The room, where it had smelled vaguely sour and bitter before, was plunged into a toe-curling scent of a frightened omega. The king's consort looked more angry than scared, but everyone knew that Felix reached for anger for harrowing times, and this was one of them. 

Sylvain withheld himself from approaching his friend and soothing him. _Not his omega._ Dimitri immediately coasted a hand across Felix's shoulders, tucking the smaller man to his side. Felix leaned imperceptibly into the king, but he didn't stop seething. "Our daughter is in Goddess-knows-where in a time where Fodlan is wild and unpredictable. We need her here _now_."

"As much as I agree with your points," Linhardt replied calmly, unaffected by the smell as any beta would be, "need I remind you that I've spent a whole day researching? With no sleep? I'm stretched thin as it is."

Which was admittedly true. Linhardt might be a paragon of tranquility (or laziness), but he was nonetheless human with very human needs. Upon closer look, his eyes were sunken and dark, and his hair was oily and unkempt. His clothes were wrinkled, and they looked like the same ones that he had worn the day before. He hardly looked like he was in any condition to do anything else _but_ sleep. 

Felix of course could see this. His lips tightened with displeasure, but he stepped down and averted his gaze. "I - my apologies, then," he murmured.

"It is of no consequence. I understand that good parents will always prioritize their children above all else," Linhardt dismissed. He yawned again. "But I promise you, your majesties, I will work tirelessly to have your daughter returned to you. After my nap, of course."

Dimitri, who was barely keeping himself together, grimaced and gave Linhardt a nod. "You have our utmost gratitude, Linhardt," the king managed to utter, his voice thick and gruff. "I don't know what we could have done without your aid. If there is anything that you need, please feel free to let us know."

"Will do, your majesty," Linhardt slurred, waving. 

After they left the researcher's office, Dimitri nearly collapsed onto the floor. Felix was quick to catch him, although he buckled under the weight of his husband. Sylvain hurried to to relieve Felix of the burden by slinging Dimitri's arm over his shoulders and guiding the king to the wall.

"I'm sorry for this," Dimitri rasped, closing his eye. 

"Why are you apologizing? For looking as haggard as Linhardt?" Sylvain quipped, attempting to lighten the mood, but his joke fell flat even to his ears. He sighed. "Look, your majesty, Ingrid and I understand. Do you hear me? We get it. And we're just as worried as you are. The princess is someone very dear and important to us, so we won't judge you if you're feeling like you're about to break."

Normally, a king would be looked down for displaying any weakness; a king would have to maintain pretenses regardless of whatever hardships that come his way. A king must endure for his people, which was an expectation that was particular for an alpha such as Dimitri. But Dimitri was no ordinary king, no ordinary alpha. He was someone who had experienced more losses and tragedies than any man ought to, hence why he looked like he was falling apart by the seams. 

Dimitri's hard-earned peace, forged together with Felix who he had finally won over after years of pining, had taken shape of his daughter. His daughter - the first princess born to a united Fodlan - had been proof of that peace, and, what was more, had become his future, his meaning, his life. His daughter was someone so precious to him and someone who he had created with his equally precious lover. And now, to lose her after having lost so many loved ones...

It was easy to see why Dimitri would fold in within himself. No one blamed him for that. 

Ingrid suddenly gasped. Sylvain sharply looked at her, brows furrowed in concern. "Ingrid? What's wrong?"

"I can't believe we haven't considered this before," she said, slapping her forehead. "After everything - how stupid can we be?"

"I know that it's one thing for you to call us stupid, but for you to regard yourself the same way?"

"Shut up, Sylvain." Ingrid frowned. "Just think: Who do we know who has the ability to cross through time by command?"

The men stood in silence before they simultaneously slapped their foreheads. 

"I'll pen a letter to the Archbishop," Felix grumbled.

* * *

* * *

Joceline Lena Blaiddyd - or Josey, as Uncle Sylvie called her - was lost. Very lost. She didn't understand where she was, but one thing was for certain was that she was no longer in the big book room. She didn't understand how she had gotten from there to...wherever this place was.

Josey was somehow outside, surrounded by people wearing similar uniforms. The people stared at her as they held their weapons. Dull weapons, her mind supplied in her papa's voice, but they were weapons nonetheless. 

Confused, distressed, and fearful, Josey began to wail. 

If her father was here, he would hold her and comfort her. If her papa was here, he would gently twist her ear and tell her that there was nothing to be afraid of. But Josey was alone with no idea of how to get back home. She _knew_ that this place wasn't home; the air was too muggy and the area was unrecognizable to her. Also, who _were_ these people?

"Oh! Sweetheart, it's alright," a sweet voice crooned. Josey found herself swept inside the arms of someone, yet the embrace felt warm, familiar even, for her to feel startled by. Squeezing her eyes shut to clear away her tears, Josey looked up to see a face that had her gasp in surprise. The woman smiled at her. "Everything is okay, I promise."

"Aunty Mercie?" Josey blurted. What was Aunty Mercie doing here? And...how did she grow out her hair so long so fast?

Aunty Mercie blinked. "Pardon?"

"Mercie, you have a niece?" someone asked.

"I don't. Or, at least, I don't think so." Aunty Mercie blinked again. "Unless my brother had a child...?"

"Wait, so you don't know her?"

"How did she suddenly appear here like that?" another person interjected incredulously. "That wasn't like any teleportation that I've seen before."

More and more voices were thrown in and intermingled, creating a cloud of noise buzzing above her head. Everyone kept asking about her, demanding answers that she had no way of giving. Josey felt her heart thunder against her chest. Overwhelmed, she buried her face into Aunty Mercie's chest, wanting to hide from the oppressive attention.

And then a voice that she knew all too well pierced through the clamor. "What is going on here?"

Josey jolted within Aunty Mercie's arms as she peered over the woman's shoulder. Past the throng of people, she could see a man striding towards them, eyes flitting about curiously. Her nervousness completely vanished as a surge of elation filled her. She pushed herself away from Aunty Mercie and sprinted towards the him. 

"Papa!" Josey cried, launching herself at his legs. 

* * *

Felix staggered backwards when a tiny blonde child latched onto his leg. _Papa?_ he thought, dumbfounded. 

"Papa?" Annette shrilly exclaimed.

"Papa?" Lorenz reiterated with a gasp.

"Papa?" Linhardt muttered, both parts surprised and intrigued. 

"You're a dad?" Caspar yelped. "But, you're, like, our age!"

"You had a baby with Mercie's brother?" Annette cried out again.

"Truly?" Linhardt said, appearing more intrigued than alarmed now.

After realizing what was going on, no matter how belated that might have been, Felix was yanked back to reality from his stunned stupor. In a fit of incredulity, he snapped at Annette, "Don't be ridiculous! Of course not! I don't even know who Mercedes's brother is."

"But she called Mercie _Aunty Mercie_!" Annette protested, making haphazard gestures. "She knew her!"

"What does that have to do with me being this kid's father?" Felix sputtered. 

"My brother's hair color is the same as mine, so I doubt that Felix and Emile could create a child with hair as bright as hers," Mercedes added.

"Exactly - wait, hold on, she still isn't my kid! I don't have a kid!" Felix planted his hands on the girl's shoulders and pushed her away. When the child stumbled backwards, he quickly steadied her so that she didn't fall down. While doing so, she lifted her chin, revealing a face that Felix had thought would only feature in his dreams and memories. His chest stirred with a complicated emotion as he was unwittingly arrested by the startling sight.

Limpid blue eyes on a cherubic face and choppy bangs hanging over her forehead, the girl...appeared exactly like how Dimitri had been in their childhood. The resemblance was so uncanny that Felix couldn't help but recoil. 

His reaction didn't go unnoticed by the girl. "P-Papa...?" the girl said tentatively, her lower lip wobbling as her eyes went glassy with unshed tears.

Alarmed, Felix backpedaled and reflexively glanced at Mercedes, the only person who seemed to know what to do with children, especially the ones on the verge of crying. Mercedes didn't disappoint as she swiftly stepped forward and gently gathered the girl, but not before lightly tutting at Felix. The child went along compliantly, but her eye were trained on Felix.

The pitiful expression on her face made him feel as though he had just punted a puppy. It was a very unsettling feeling.

Lorenz, the fancy-pants noble that he was, held no compunction when he said, "My, you have quite a way with children, Felix."

Felix grounded his teeth. "I do not have a daughter! I don't know who this kid is!"

Lorenz quirked a brow. "I didn't say that you do."

 _Ugh._ "Whatever," he grunted, fed up with...whatever the hell this was. He didn't come here to chit-chat and interact with toddlers, much less get confused to be a parent of all things; he was here to train. Felix whirled around and marched straight for the weapons rack, leaving behind the group and the strange Dimitri-look-alike brat. 

Although, while he had made up his mind to put the situation behind him, Felix couldn't shake away the questions that lingered in his mind: What was a child doing here on the training grounds? Who was she? And did she hold any relation to the Blaiddyds?

Also...why did she mistake a Fraldarius as her father?

As Felix selected a sword and moved towards a training dummy, the last question went on repeat: Why did she think that he was her father? He found it strange that she had done so. Just as the Blaiddyds could be identified by their immense strength and the Gautier for their reddish hair, Fraldarius men and women were distinct in their appearances: pale skin, sharp eyes, pointed features, lithe build, and dark hair. 

For the girl to look at Felix and see her parent... Could it be that she was indeed a Fraldarius? But who could be her father? He must be young if the girl had believed that a seventeen-year-old could be him, so that crossed out the old man and his uncle, never mind the fact that any of them siring a bastard was extremely unlikely. The only other relatives Felix knew were his cousins, but they were a fourteen-year-old girl and a ten-year-old boy. 

He possibly had distant cousins somewhere out there, but Felix found that unlikely. While the memory was vague, he recalled hearing a story about how his grandfather's brothers had been killed in battle, his sister dying from childbirth, and that sister's child dying due to pneumonia. There shouldn't be any other Fraldarius. 

His mind supplied an unwarranted image of Glenn, and Felix struck at the dummy harder than necessary.

No, Glenn was dead. Even... Even if his body had never been recovered, not like how King Lambert's body had been - not like how all the Kingdom soldiers' bodies had been - Glenn must have died. Otherwise, wouldn't his older brother have made his way back home, even if he had to crawl to get there?

No, not Glenn. Glenn wasn't the father. And besides...the kid looked nothing like a Fraldarius; she was all Blaiddyd. She was so obviously a Blaiddyd that he could tell the second he had laid his eyes on her face. A perfect Dimitri replica. Likely the regent's bastard daughter, knowing how much of a womanizer that failure of a ruler was. 

Felix performed a series of slashes. That might explain who her other parent was, and, given that the regent was an alpha, the other parent must be an omega.

And _that_ continued to make _no_ sense. There were no omega Fraldarius other than him. Glenn hadn't been an omega but a beta, which was reassuring in a way that Felix had an additional reason to dispute that the father could be him. But still - just who was her parent? 

Felix lowered his sword and swore under his breath. His concentration was gone and he lost interest in training, and all because he was now fixated on Rufus's bastard. Exasperatedly ruffling his hair, he glanced back at the spot where he had left Mercedes and the girl. They weren't here. Actually, none of the other students were here. Had he been so caught up with his frustration that he hadn't noticed anyone leaving?

Felix looked at the dummy across from him and the sword in his hand. He gnawed on his lower lip until he thought, _"Screw it."_ He wanted answers. He hurriedly put away the sword and jogged out of the training grounds. 

* * *

The girl hadn't stopped weeping ever since they had left the training grounds. Mercedes continued to murmur reassurances and pat her back as she carried her down the hall. 

Annette felt her heart break every time the girl heaved out a shuddering breath. Rejection hurt, she knew, and to be treated none too gently by someone who she had believed to be her father must have stung. 

Honestly, Annette fumed inwardly, even if he wasn't actually her father, Felix could have had the sense not to be so mean to a little girl! Did the boy not know how to be delicate at all or was he just prickly all over? What a jerk!

"There, there," Mercedes said. "Did you let it all out?"

The girl sniffled. "Mm."

"How about we get you some treats? Eating something yummy always cheers me up!"

"Okay," the girl hiccupped. 

Mercedes bounced the girl to get a better grip on her when she was starting to slip down. Mercedes was strong no doubt, but carrying a young child was no easy task. If the older woman went on with this, she could develop a strain in her arms and an ache on her back, and that wouldn't be good. 

"Hey, Mercie, how about I hold her?" Annette offered.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't mind, but thank you."

"No, really! You've been holding her for quite some time, and I don't want you to wear yourself out. Let me help you."

"Are you sure?"

Annette nodded. "Positively."

Mercedes took a second to consider before beaming. "In that case, sure!"

The girl, on the other hand, wasn't so happy about that decision. "No, Aunty Annie will drop me as she always does," she whined, gripping onto Mercedes's shawl. 

Annette reeled back as though struck. "I won't do that!" she sputtered, shocked that the girl would claim such a thing. "Sure, I'm a bit clumsy, but I wouldn't go as far as to drop people!"

Wait a minute...

How did this girl know her name? Annette hadn't introduced herself nor did Mercedes refer her by name. And why did the girl's insinuation sound as though Annette dropping her had happened before? "As she always does"? What did that mean?

"But you did drop me," the girl insisted. "I remember it happening. It was a long, long time ago, but I remember my knee hurting because you dropped me. Father also said that you dropped me when I was three."

"I..." There was a lot to take in from that remark alone that had Annette's mind go momentarily blank. Annette and Mercedes looked at each other, bewildered. "Um, uh..."

"Hey, Annette, Mercedes! Whatcha got there?"

Sauntering towards them was Sylvain, an ever-present cocksure grin on his face. When the boy had entered her periphery, the girl's expression transformed from despondent to elated. 

For one jarring second, Annette thought that Sylvain's lady-killer charm was being put into effect despite the distance...and despite how Sylvain had yet to say any of his lines. But that was until the girl exclaimed, "Uncle Sylvie!"

Sylvain stopped dead on his tracks.

Annette boggled. "You're her uncle?" She then turned to Mercedes. "He's her uncle and you're her aunt?"

"She called you Aunty Annie too," Mercedes reminded her kindly.

Sylvain emitted a chuckle, although the sound came off as forced as well as the grin on his noticeably pale face. "I see that you ladies mentioned about me," he said, rubbing his neck. "Uncle Sylvie? That's cute."

"W-we didn't," Annette said with wide eyes.

Sylvain became paler. "Oh, Goddess," he said. "She's not Miklan's, is she?"

"Um, who?"

"Uncle Sylvie," the girl beckoned pleadingly, "could you - may you please hold me? Please?"

Sylvain looked like he wanted to do anything but that. 

Mercedes, as sweet and patient and nice as she was, could be so merciless. The healer ate up the gap with her quick strides and, before Sylvain got the chance to scurry off, she deposited the girl onto him. 

The girl gleefully clung onto Sylvain, not dissimilar to a squirrel on a tree, as Sylvain squawked at his new load.

"You're always commenting on how you would like to whisk a lady away in your arms," said Mercedes, "so there you have it."

If the situation wasn't so strange, Annette would have laughed. 

"Now," Mercedes began, "perhaps we should take a detour and visit one of the professors. I think we're going to need some help on this."


	2. Chapter 2

The Archbishop arrived at the castle within three hours on the back of a wyvern.

With her hair blown and her cheeks tinged pink from the whipping winds, Byleth was offered to take an hour of reprieve. However, the woman was adamant to meet with Linhardt as soon as possible, to which everyone left her to her own devices, knowing better than to stand in the Archbishop's way. 

After a few hours locked in the researcher's office, Byleth emerged. She also greeted the group with a small frown - an admonishing expression for a typically inexpressive person. "You didn't tell me that Linhardt was sleeping," she said.

"It's not like you gave us the chance to tell you," Sylvain retaliated with a grin. Which was true. Byleth charged through the halls like a wild bull. Then, with a more serious disposition, he inquired, "Did you get anything?"

She nodded. "I'll relay our findings once everyone is free."

"I'll inform his majesty, then," said Ashe. 

The second Dimitri had received the message, he promptly dismissed his retinue and canceled his meeting with the lords and ladies. Had Dimitri of yesterday were to find out that he would abuse his position of power so candidly, he would have been scandalized. As it was, Dimitri of today didn't care. Byleth could very well have an answer to this problem of theirs, and he wanted to know about it now.

In the conference room, Dimitri sat on one end of the table while Felix took his seat next to him. On the other end was Byleth, and sitting in between the king and the Archbishop were Sylvain, Ashe, Ingrid, Annette, and Gilbert. Many of them were grim, solemn, although a few of them - Ashe and Annette - wrung their hands anxiously as their gazes flitted between faces. 

"I thank you for coming, Byleth, and I do apologize for the timing," Dimitri began.

"There's no need for that, Dimitri," said Byleth. "Though you are no longer my students, I still care a great deal for everyone. That being said, as soon as I read your letter, I left my duties to Seteth. He's not happy with me for rushing out, but he's very understanding of your plight."

Seteth was a father himself, wasn't he? Sylvain didn't know the exact details, but he remembered overhearing a conversation between Seteth and Manuela many years ago. There wasn't much for Sylvain to go off on to discern who this mysterious daughter was, but he had a feeling that Seteth and Flayn's sibling relationship wasn't what they had claimed to be. 

"Nevertheless, I thank you," Dimitri said with a weary smile. 

"What did you find?" Felix asked, ever straight to the point.

"As Linhardt has already informed you, the book that your daughter opened was full of dark and ancient magic. The activation, however, wasn't because she just opened it, but because she fulfilled three requirements." 

Byleth pulled out a folded yellowed parchment with torn edges and held it up for everyone to see. On the parchment was a circular design with three lines protruding past the circumference from the center. Scrawled in a spiral was faded chicken-scratch writing that no one could decipher upon glance. 

"What is this?" Ingrid asked. 

"This is the spell that sent Josey to the past," Byleth replied. Sylvain noticed Felix scowling at the nickname, but he didn't voice his displeasure like how he used to do. The man had grown resigned to it after Josey had chosen to refer to herself as such. Byleth pointed at one of the lines. "This one signifies the future." Her finger then drifted to the next line. "This one the present, and the last one the past."

"So what does this mean?" Annette piped up. "And what are these requirements?"

"First, a person must have a Major Crest; only then will he or she be able to read the passages in these spaces," Byleth explained, tapping at one of the spaces between the lines and outside of the circle. Reflexively, everyone looked at Felix, whose scowl became more pronounced. 

A moment of confusion took over when they returned their attention to the parchment. There was nothing in the spaces. "Um, pardon me, but I don't see anything," Ashe tentatively said.

"I don't either," Sylvain chimed in. "Do the passages only reveal themselves to those with Major Crests?"

"It does," Byleth confirmed. "Linhardt wasn't able to see anything, but I was."

"I can too," murmured Felix. 

"Why are Major Crest users the only ones who can read?" Dimitri asked. 

"There wasn't anything explicitly mentioned. Or if there was, we haven't read up on it yet. The only thing that we can assume is that, given the time period, there is a marked difference between Major and Minor Crests than how it is today."

"In the past, Major Crests were a commonality, yet Minor Crests and those without Crests were still born into the noble lineage," Gilbert quietly remarked, steepling his fingers. "If I were to make a conjecture, this was intended to ensure that those recognized as the strong would be the only ones to use this spell."

Byleth nodded. "My thoughts exactly. As a result, Josey was able to read the print."

"That would be the first requirement. What's the second?" Sylvain asked. 

"Reading the words aloud. Once you do that, the words here will appear." Byleth then traced from the space to one of the slices of the circle. "I tested it myself to see what would happen."

"Byleth, that's dangerous," Ingrid chided, appalled by the woman's recklessness. Sylvain would be too if said woman wasn't the Goddess incarnate who had performed many miraculous accomplishments. (Out-stubborn-ing Felix would be one of them.)

Byleth shrugged. "I had my Divine Pulse ready at hand if something were to go wrong." Before Ingrid could form a retort, the Archbishop plowed on, saying, "But as it would appear, having a Major Crest and reading aloud are not enough to activate the spell. We know that there are three requirements to fulfill, according to the text, so we'll be trying to find out what the last one may be."

The room descended into a contemplative silence, mulling over Byleth's words. While the discovery that the Archbishop had made with the bleary-eyed Linhardt - they really ought to give the man some rest - had been greatly informational, it was unsatisfying. 

Namely, because they still had no idea how to retrieve Josey. 

Sylvain's eyes drifted back to the parchment where the invisible print glared back at everyone. He imagined little Josey stumbling upon the book, curiously scanning the words before eagerly trying to sound them out aloud. She was at that age where she wanted to try everything by herself, to hone her skills and later show off. 

It was funny to think about how Josey was shaping up to be a voracious reader when neither of her parents had much interest in books. Sylvain particularly remembered how little Felix, rosy-cheeked and teary-eyed and soft, had been so fixated on mastering the sword to catch up to Glenn that he had dedicated hours swinging a wooden sword. The man's inclination towards training hadn't changed at all since their childhood. 

But Josey? Despite being born to Dimitri and Felix, Josey expressed no love for lances or swords or any weaponry. She whined whenever she received lessons in fighting, preferring to play with her dolls and read her books. She liked to sing, dance, and bake, and she had been more taken with Mercedes's embroidery than hearing war tales that her fathers had fought in. 

A princess indeed. Dimitri and Felix didn't know what to do with a daughter with such girlish desires, and watching them blunder through parenthood provided wonderful moments of entertainment.

Ingrid, the one female influence they consistently had in their lives, had been comparatively tomboyish to Josey, so they didn't have much to go off on other than sending letters regularly to Mercedes and Annette. Despite this, Dimitri and Felix did what they could to accommodate their daughter's interests instead of rejecting them. 

They were good parents. They loved their daughter dearly, and that was evident with the way they had run themselves thin after her disappearance. As rulers, the kingdom should take priority, but they couldn't stop seeing themselves as parents first.

Regardless of whether Josey had a Crest or not, they always intended on making her Dimitri's heir. And regardless of what the future might lie ahead, they wanted Josey to make her own decisions instead of theirs being forced upon her. 

That was why what they had gotten so far was unsatisfying. To have a wonderful family still separated like this was horrible. 

"That's not all we've uncovered," Byleth suddenly said, causing everyone to perk up. 

"What else is there?" Dimitri asked. 

The Archbishop pursed her lips. "It's...a lot to take in," she warned. "The information might go over your head."

Felix appeared disgruntled by that. "This isn't that theoretical crap that Linhardt likes to ramble on about, is it?"

A pause. "It is."

Sighs gusted out. Apparently, Felix wasn't the only one who harbored such sentiment. "Wonderful."

* * *

* * *

The girl was a babbler, which was apparently surprising to Mercedes and Annette. Given their reaction, they made it seem as though she was a crybaby instead. 

Perhaps she was, but, the moment Sylvain had entered the scene, the girl had been nothing but a happy, bouncing, babbling kid. He would have found her endearing if not for two things: One, how did she know his name - his childhood nickname, for that matter - when this was the first time they had met? Two, was she Miklan's kid or not?

Two pressing questions that Sylvain desperately wanted to know and yet couldn't manage to ask. Mercedes and Annette also kept themselves mum regarding the issue, only speaking up to exchange small talk and respond to the girl. 

They didn't ask for her name as they carefully filtered through the contents of her words. 

They learned three significant things: One, she knew not just their names but was also familiar with them. Two, Sylvain was her favorite uncle (which he had to give her credit for her excellent tastes; he was indeed favorite-uncle-worthy). Three, her papa had brushed her aside when she had arrived here for the first time. 

The girl had mentioned him in words colored with concern and hurt, and didn't outright say that her papa had been mean, but Sylvain could tell that her papa had been mean. 

And Miklan was undeniably mean, but that also piled on more questions than answers. Was Miklan somewhere nearby the monastery?

Sylvain would have shuddered in horror at the thought of his older brother being within distance if not for his confusion. If Sylvain was recognized as the favorite uncle, then the girl's father couldn't possibly be Miklan because there was no way that Miklan would have said anything favorable about him. Miklan _hated_ him. 

(Unless Miklan had a change of heart, which Sylvain sincerely doubted.) 

Sylvain had two more things to add to his ever-growing list: One, the girl looked just like baby Dimitri. Two, the girl looked _exactly_ like baby Dimitri.

Okay, that was basically one thing, but that one thing was significant enough to be repeated. 

If Miklan truly was this girl's father (to which Sylvain was starting to think otherwise), then the omega parent must be a Blaiddyd. 

How Miklan had managed to impregnate a Blaiddyd, Sylvain didn't want to know. Seriously, he didn't.

Mercedes led the group to Professor Byleth's office. The woman looked up from her writing and looked at them curiously, her gaze especially lingering on the little girl in Sylvain's arms. "Is there something that I can do for you?" she asked, folding her hands on top of the desk. 

Mercedes smiled. "Hello, Professor. Please pardon the intrusion - "

"Aunty Bel!" the girl exclaimed. 

Everyone froze.

Byleth blinked owlishly. "Bel?" she repeated. 

On the girl's face was a sunny smile, which then fell when she batted her eyes a couple of times. Her expression shuttered into that of bewilderment. "Your hair isn't minty," the girl pointed out, sounding almost accusatory.

 _Minty_? 

Byleth looked at Sylvain and the others for an answer. Sylvain could only shrug, and, from the corner of his eye, he saw Mercedes and Annette do the same thing. The professor's brows imperceptibly knitted together before she said, "Sorry?"

"You look like Aunty Bel," the girl continued in a mumble. Like a flick of a switch, the kid went from happy and chatty to shy and demure. She tucked her face into the crook of Sylvain's neck and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. 

"Ah, um, Professor, this is what we need help with," Annette broached with fumbling awkwardness. 

"Directions to where the orphans go?" the professor guessed. 

Oof. That was direct. "No, not that," Annette said, flustered. "You see, this girl - " She abruptly paused and fretfully glanced at the girl. "Erm, that is..."

"Sylvain, why don't you take this sweetie out in the hallway to play?" Mercedes suggested. 

What? Sylvain wanted to protest because he wasn't a babysitter - and what the hell did he know about kids? - but under the sheer force of Mercedes's lovely smile and Annette's pleading stare, he reluctantly conceded.

Okay, fine, he could watch over the girl. She liked him, anyway; he was her favorite uncle, after all, whatever that entailed. Also, she seemed well-behaved enough. How hard could it be?

* * *

Felix audibly cursed when he crashed into Dimitri and Dedue. 

"Felix, why the rush?" Dimitri said, surprised as he caught him by his elbows.

Felix ripped away from the prince. "None of your business," he spat. He was about to brush past the two when a thought occurred to him. Felix loathed to spend a second more with the beast, but the issue at hand was too important for him to not say anything.

With reluctance, Felix lifted his head and said, "Boar, you really should do something about that uncle of yours by the time you become king."

Dimitri was bemused. "What do you mean?"

After a quick explanation, Dimitri had one of the most confounded expressions that Felix had ever seen on him. 

"A cousin," Dimitri repeated numbly. 

Felix nodded. "A cousin."

"Where did she go?" Dedue asked. 

"As I said, Mercedes and Annette just took her elsewhere. I was on my way trying to find them," Felix said. "Now, if that's all..."

Dimitri snapped out of his stupor. "Let us come with you."

Felix shot him an exasperated glare. "I don't need your help, boar."

"It's not about that. If what you're saying is true..." Dimitri nervously licked his lips. "Then she's family - my family. The least that I can do is see her - "

"And then what? Demand the regent to take her in? Store her away in your room until you figure out what to do with her?" Felix sneered before marching onward. "Whatever. Do as you like."

"W-well, what do you plan to do?" Dimitri asked, catching up to him easily with his longer strides as did Dedue. Felix tried to not let his annoyance show. "She mistook you for her father - " the boar stumbled over the word " - yet you're going out of your way to look for her. Surely that means that you - "

Felix quickened his pace. "Shut up! Don't say as though you know what my intentions are."

"But - but, Felix!"

* * *

The thing was: The girl herself wasn't the problem; it was everyone else.

Sylvain should have expected as such. If a dashing young man such as himself was to stand out in the hallway with a kid, then of course he would attract attention. There had been a few girls who had giggled and cooed at the sight, and Sylvain had taken upon himself to show them what a sensitive and caring guy that he was. 

(The kid hadn't been impressed with him when he pulled his attention away from her, but, well, the grown-ups made the rules. Them's the rules.)

But what followed after that had been the not-so warranted company.

"Well, well, I can't say that this is a shock," drifted an amused voice. Lorenz sauntered towards him, sending him a smug smile. "We should have expected that, one day, your philandering would land you into the role of fatherhood."

Sylvain rolled his eyes so hard that they hurt. "Quite an assumption you've made there."

"But is it a stretch to say - " Lorenz cut himself off when he did a double-take at the girl. "Wait, I know her."

Sylvain stared. "You...do?"

"Yes, she suddenly appeared on the training grounds. Not quite like any teleportation magic that I have seen before." Lorenz pursed his lips as he appraised the girl. The girl ducked behind Sylvain's legs, timorous like a mouse. Sylvain hadn't seen her like this before, and he decided that he didn't like it. 

"Quit eyeballing her like that, Lorenz," Sylvain huffed. "She's a little below your age range, isn't she?"

Lorenz scoffed in disgust, but he did pull away. "I'll have you mind your words, Sylvain! To cast meaningless accusations is beneath our station as nobles."

"Hey, you were the one who assumed that she was my kid!"

The purple prick harrumphed and turned his head as though he was flipping a long mane instead of a horrendous bowl-cut. "Yes, well, it a reasonable one knowing you. Besides, I was merely wondering why our strange visitor is with you instead of Mercedes and Annette. I thought that they would have taken her to a professor by now."

"They're currently speaking to one. I'm just here to watch over the tyke." He leaned down to ruffle her hair. The girl whined and batted his hand away. "While they're doing that, we cool kids are out here hanging out. Isn't that right, kiddo?"

"Yes, two children spending time together. How quaint," Lorenz drawled.

Sheesh, this guy was petty. Was he that mad about what Sylvain had said earlier? As much as he would have liked to continue their banter, there was something else that he wanted to address. "You said that she teleported on the training grounds? Was there anyone else with her?"

"No, she arrived alone."

Okay, Sylvain thought. Okay, okay, okay. If this girl was Miklan's - unlikely - then the hypothetical situation could be that Miklan had become a magic user during his banishment - yeah, no, that was just too much of a reach. A _better_ hypothetical situation would be that Miklan's omega partner was a magic user who had intentionally or accidentally sent their daughter to Garreg Mach.

If it had been intentional, had it been to save the girl? Or to get rid of her? If it had been accidental, then was either parent searching for her right now?

Lorenz also mentioned that the teleportation was unconventional. How unconventional? Unconventionally good or unconventionally bad? Or had it been just plainly too weird to make that determination?

Ugh, his head hurt. When did he become someone who questioned everything for the sake of knowing everything? Who was he, Annette?

Sylvain felt a tug on the hem of his jacket. "Uncle Sylvie," the girl whispered, blue eyes large with anxiety, "who is that mister?"

Oh. Hmm. "You don't know him?"

She shook her head, her tresses swishing against her shoulders.

Interesting. So far, the girl knew who he, Mercedes, and Annette were, and yet she didn't recognize Lorenz? "Great. Don't go near him. You don't know where he's been."

"Excuse me?" Lorenz said, affronted. 

"I don't want his nobleness to taint your cuteness, cutie." Sylvain winked. He got the foreseen effect of getting her to giggle. 

"Okay, Uncle Sylvie," the girl said with a sweet smile. Sylvain's heart melted at the adorable sight. 

Aww. Yeah, there was no way Miklan could sire such a cutie! She was too precious to be any asshole's daughter!

"Don't speak of such absurdities," Lorenz sniffed. "You'll only serve to be a bad influence. Although, I can't say you already haven't when she only has you for company."

"Can't be any worse than having you around."

"On the contrary, I believe that I'll pose a more dignified example than your skirt-chasing ways. Tell me, have you flirted with any of the ladies here while the girl remained under your care?"

"I can't say I have, Lorenz," Sylvain lied through his teeth, grin stretched wide across his face. "I am, after all, a responsible young nobleman. How can I possibly neglect my little lady?"

To his surprise, Lorenz gave him a genuine smile; Sylvain didn't trust it. "Neglect, you say? Then I suppose your attentive self may be able to inform me where she is right now?"

"What are you talking about? She's right here - " The girl, who had been standing next to him just a mere minute ago, was gone. Sylvain felt his jaw slackened as he looked around in disbelief. She wasn't behind him. She wasn't down the hall. She wasn't anywhere he could see! "What? What the hell?"

"A responsible young nobleman, you say? I think not." Lorenz then gave an annoying, grating laughter. 

"For the love of the goddess, Lorenz, _shut_ _up_ \- "

The door opened, and Mercedes poked her head through. "Sylvain, we finished discussing with the professor. Could you two please enter?"

Sylvain blanched. "Oh, uh, well, Mercedes, you see..."

The smile on his classmate's face dropped when she noticed that their tiny visitor had mysteriously vanished. "Sylvain, where is the girl?"


End file.
